§ Mr. Dixonasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what are the current guidelines for monitoring, the vibration levels of any vibrating surface which causes discomfort, numbness or deadfinger at United Kingdom workplaces;
(2) what steps the Health and Safety Executive is taking regarding the risk to workers from vibration diseases.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe British Standards Institution has published draft guidance on evaluation of the risk to health from vibration in BS DD 32 "Guide to the evaluation of human exposure to whole-body vibration" and BS DD 43 "Guide to the evaluation of exposure of the human hand-arm system to vibration". In 1980 the HSE published "Vibration Injuries of the Hand and Arm: their Occurrence and the Evolution of Standards and Limits" (HSE research paper 9); and in 1982 the executive published guidance on the control of chain saw vibration in its guidance note PM 31 "Chain saws". The executive is preparing further guidance on injuries caused by hand-arm vibration and ways of controlling the risk.
Wherever vibration is a risk to the health of persons at work, the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 requires that such action as is reasonably practicable be taken to minimise the risk. When considering whether action is needed in any particular case, HSE inspectors refer to the existing guidance and can seek expert advice from specialists and from the Employment Medical Advisory Service. The Health and Safety Executive is carrying out a survey to discover the extent to which tools and processes associated with vibration white finger are used in industry. The results are expected to be available by the end of 1986.